Bhopal Bureau
Summary: The Madhya Pradesh Housing Board will demolish 600 dilapidated Janata Quarters in Aishbagh, Bhopal, on 14 November. Its Division-3 has issued a final notice asking all residents to vacate their houses and remove their belongings by 13 November. An inquiry found that only 110 of the 600 houses are occupied by their original legal allottees, while around 490 are under unauthorised occupation. Legal allottees will get a new flat 20 percent larger than their present house after redevelopment, along with monthly rent at Collector rates during the construction period.
The problem of dilapidated buildings in Bhopal has been discussed for a long time, and the Janata Quarters of Aishbagh are its oldest and largest example. These buildings were declared dangerous a decade ago, yet residents continued to live in them. With the Housing Board now fixing a demolition date through a final notice, action in a case that had been pending for years is set to move forward. This report covers the final notice, the figures on legal and unauthorised occupation, the rehabilitation arrangement, the history of the buildings being declared dangerous, and the process ahead.
What the final notice says
The Housing Board’s Division-3 has issued a final notice to the residents of the 600 EWS Janata Quarters in Aishbagh. The notice asks all residents to vacate their houses and remove their belongings by 13 November. Once the deadline passes, the buildings will be demolished on 14 November in the presence of a large police force and municipal corporation staff.
The notice also makes it clear that after 13 November, living in the area or keeping belongings there will be fully prohibited. The demolition drive will be carried out with police and municipal assistance so that law and order is maintained during the operation.
This notice has come as the final warning from the Housing Board. Notices had been issued for these buildings several times before, but this time a demolition date has been fixed along with the final notice. That is why this notice is being seen as a decisive step in the matter.
110 legal allottees out of 600, around 490 under unauthorised occupation
The figures that emerged from the inquiry conducted before the action are the most important part of this case. According to the inquiry, only 110 of the 600 houses are occupied by their original legal allottees, while around 490 houses are under unauthorised occupation. The Housing Board has made it clear that only legal allottees who submit a written consent to vacate will get monthly rent at Collector rates and the benefit of rehabilitation.
Unauthorised occupants will get no relief or compensation. This position of the Board is the most discussed aspect of the case, because it raises the question of housing arrangements for the people living in the 490 houses. The Board has said that the benefit of rehabilitation will go only to those whose allotment is legal and who have submitted a consent letter to vacate.
The residents’ side has also come to the fore earlier. In 2022, when the administrative team reached the site for demolition, residents protested and said that an alternative housing arrangement should be made first, and only then should the houses be demolished. During the monsoon season too, residents reached the Collectorate and protested, demanding that hundreds of families should not be rendered homeless without a concrete rehabilitation arrangement. No fresh reaction from residents to this final notice is recorded in the information available so far.
When and why the buildings were declared dangerous
The story of the Aishbagh Janata Quarters is not new. The Bhopal Municipal Corporation had declared these buildings dangerous in May 2016. Further notices were issued in 2018. Despite that, residents continued to live in the buildings and demolition action did not move forward.
After the notices issued in 2018, the district administration team reached the Janata Quarters for demolition on 30 August 2022, but had to return following protests by local residents. During the operation, people living in the houses sat in front of the bulldozers. They said that an alternative arrangement for living should be made first, and only then should the houses be demolished. After that, the Board conducted a fresh survey and prepared a list of genuine allottees.
The scale of the dilapidated-buildings problem in the city can be judged from the fact that the municipal corporation has identified 3,435 dilapidated, severely dilapidated or dangerous buildings across the city, including 2,464 government and 971 private buildings. Aishbagh has been reported to have the highest density of extremely dilapidated buildings. Around 2,000 residents are estimated to be living in these quarters.
The redevelopment plan: 20 percent bigger flat and monthly rent
Under the Madhya Pradesh Redevelopment Policy, 2022, a multi-storey residential complex will be built at the prime location in Aishbagh. Under the plan, all eligible allottees will get a modern flat 20 percent larger than their present house. During the construction period, monthly rent fixed at Collector rates will be sent to the bank accounts of legal allottees.
This arrangement is only for original legal allottees who have submitted a consent letter. The monthly rent will be paid during the construction period so that allottees can live in rented accommodation in the meantime. After redevelopment is complete, they will be allotted a bigger flat in the new complex.
The objective of the redevelopment policy is to provide safe and modern housing in place of dilapidated buildings. A multi-storey complex at a prime location like Aishbagh is expected to improve both the number and the quality of houses. However, this benefit is limited to eligible allottees, so it offers no relief to residents of houses under unauthorised occupation.
How the action on 14 November will be carried out
The demolition on 14 November will be carried out in the presence of a large police force and municipal corporation staff. Before that, residents have been given time until 13 November to vacate their houses and remove their belongings. After 13 November, living in the area and keeping belongings there will be fully prohibited.
Maintaining law and order during the operation will be the biggest challenge for the administration, because in 2022 the team had to return due to protests. This time the operation has been planned in the presence of a police force so that no disorder occurs.
After demolition, a multi-storey residential complex will be constructed at the same site. Detailed information about the timeline of construction and the complete process will come out later. For now, the Board’s priority is to get the houses vacated by 13 November and complete the demolition on 14 November.
Attention on other dilapidated buildings in the city
The action on the Aishbagh Janata Quarters may also affect other dilapidated buildings in the city. The municipal corporation has surveyed all wards and placed 3,435 buildings in the dilapidated, severely dilapidated or dangerous categories. Around 740 government buildings have been described as severely dilapidated.
More than 12,000 families live in old Housing Board colonies, multi-storey buildings and houses in the city. Many of these buildings are more than 40 years old. In this context, the Aishbagh action is also being seen as an example that the administration is now adopting a strict approach in cases of dilapidated buildings.
Living in dilapidated buildings is considered dangerous from the safety point of view, because the risk of collapse increases during rain and other weather conditions. That is why the municipal corporation and the Housing Board have been issuing notices for dilapidated buildings from time to time.
What happens next, and what to watch
In the coming days, attention will be on how many residents vacate their houses by 13 November and how the demolition on 14 November is completed. It will also become clear when legal allottees start receiving monthly rent and when construction under the redevelopment plan begins.
The question of housing arrangements for residents of houses under unauthorised occupation remains the biggest issue. If they do not vacate, a situation of confrontation could also arise during the operation. What steps the administration takes in this regard will also be watched.
The case of the Aishbagh Janata Quarters has reached an important turning point for Bhopal. Buildings declared dangerous a decade ago now have a fixed demolition date. Further action will decide how the redevelopment plan takes shape on the ground and by when eligible allottees get their new flats.
Disclaimer: This news has been prepared on the basis of available sources and verification. In case of any factual error, a correction will be published.
